canney



{No.Model.) 2 Sheen-Sheet 1.

P. CANNEY. BUOY FOR LOGATING WREGKS AND ATTAGHING LINES THHRETO.

No. 541,313 1 Patented June 18, 1 895.

WIZWESSE-S' v LVVENIOY? 2 SheetsSheet 2.

(No Model.)

RCANNEY. BUOY FOR LOGATING WREGKSJAND ATTAGHING LINES THERETO. No.541,313.

Paten t g d June 18, 1895.

if) with will! Hm UNITED STATES PATENT OFF-ICE.

FREAD CANNEY, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

BUOY FOR LOCATING WRECKS AND ATl'ACHlNG LINES THERETO.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 541,313, dated June 18,1895.

Application filed July 2, 1894- Serial No. 516,253. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREAD CANNEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Detroit, countyof \Vayne, State of Michigan, have inventedacertain new and usefullrnprovement in Buoys for Locating Wrecks andAttaching Cables Thereto; and I declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same,reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, which form a part ofthis specification.

This invention relates to wrecking devices, and has for its object animproved form of float or buoy, and means of connecting the same with avessel such that if the vessel shall be wrecked the buoy will float tothe surface of the water under which the wreck lies, and will furnish ameans of communication with the wreck by which lifting lines or chainscan be secured to the wreck without the interposition of a diver. I

In the drawings, Figure 1 shows the buoy and inclosed reel in sectionand indicates the eye to which the lower bight of the line is made fast.Fig. 2 indicates the connection of the buoy to a sunken vessel. Fig. 3indicates the manner of attaching the buoy or a number of them to avessel in such a position that they are ready for action.

The buoy itself is preferably made of wood, the lighter kinds of woodbeing of course preferable. Itis made hollow, and within the hollowinterior, indicated at 2 in Fig. l, is journaled a reel or spool uponwhich is wound the line serving to connect the floating part 1 of thebuoy to the hull of the vessel. The external shape of the buoy isimmaterial, except that the portion above the reel should be lighterthan the portion below it. lhe cord extending from the reel passes outthrough the end 3 of the buoy at an opening made through the externalwalls thereof. Preferably, this buoy is made of two pieces of wood, eachcomposing a half of the finished buoy, and the two pieces of wood aresecured together in any suitable way, as by bolts or screws passingthrough the holes 4:, 5, 6.

The cord wound upon the reel or spool is double, and the protrudingportion of it forms a loop or bight which is passed through an eye ofmetal that is attached to the hull of the vessel. This eye of metal islarge enough to easily permit the passage through it of a strong cableor chain, and is secured to the hull of the vessel in such a way thatthe entire vessel may be lifted by means of a chain attached to the eye,and worked by suitable lifting apparatus above. As indicated in Fig. 3,the eye is the upper terminal of a strap of metal which passes downalong the outside of the hull, and is bolted or otherwise secured tothe-hull. Of course, if the vessel is originally made with the view toattaching this buoy to it, the strap of metal would be preferably placedinside of the skin of the hull, where it would be equally serviceablefor the desired purposes, and would present no obstruction to theprogress of the vessel. The eye should extend above the hullsufficiently to furnish a clear passage way for the cable or chain to bedrawn through it in the use of the device. The eye is indicated in Fig.1 at '7, and the strap by which the eye is connected to the hull isindicated in Fig. 3 at 8, 9 and 10. The cord itself'is indicated at 11in the several figures.

Upon the spool should be wound the cord, laid double as alreadymentioned, in length sufficient to reach from the bottom to the surfaceof the deepest waters over which the vessel is intended totraverse, or,in case of ocean navigators, the cord should be in length sufficient toreach from the bottom to the surface of the-deepest waters under whichit would be at all practicable to lift a sunken vessel.

The buoy rests on a bracket that is attached to the hull of the vesselin such a way that it can freely escape from the hull in case of thesinking thereof, and in such a way that the cord connecting the buoy tothe eye of the strap will not be caught or entangled when the buoyleaves its resting placeand rises through the water on the submerging orsink ing of that vessel. There should be on each vessel to which thisappliance is attached, a sufficientnumber of lifting straps and eyes anda sufficient number of buoys, with the connecting cords, to enablechains or cables enough to be attached to the wreck to lift it.

Of course the number employed would vary according to the size of thevessel to which they are attached.

In case of the sinking of a vessel, the buoy escapes from the bracketwhich supports it, and rises to the surface of the water, and while sorising the cord unwinds from the spool within it, and when the buoy hasrisen to the surface, there is now a connection between the surface ofthe water and the vessel by a double line which can be drawn or runthrough the eye through which the bight of the cord passes, and thisline, capable of being so drawn, may have attached to it a heavier lineor a cable, and may be utilized to draw the heavier line or cablethrough the eye of the metal strap attached to the hull of the vesseland terminating in an eye, the line being passed through the eye, andbeing adapted to unwind from the reel without running through the eye,and to be afterward run therethrough substantially as described.

2. In combination with a vessel a lifting strap secured to the hull, andterminating at its upper end with an eye, a doubled cord engagingthrough theeye at its bend, a buoy provided with a reeling spool and tofloat upward, means for detachably securing the buoy to the hull of thevessel in position to release itself therefrom and float to the surface,both strands of said doubled cord being wound on said reel substantiallyas specified.

3. In combination with a buoy having a reel therein, a line doubled andwound on said reel, a protruding bight of said cord engaging with asuitable fixture on the hull of a vessel by a connection such as unwindsfrom the reel without running through the fixture and can be afterwardrun through it, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification in the presences of twowitnesses.

FREAD OANNEY.

Witnesses:

CHARLES F. BURTON, F. CLOUGH.

